No Ebola flight bans to US

New York: New York's Mount Sinai Hospital was performing tests on Monday on a patient who had travelled recently in West Africa, where an Ebola outbreak has killed hundreds of people, after he arrived at the emergency room with symptoms of the disease.

The hospital said in a statement that he had a high fever and gastrointestinal symptoms when he came to the emergency room in the early hours of Monday. He was put in isolation until test results are back.

"The patient had recently travelled to a West African country where Ebola has been reported," the hospital said. "The patient has been placed in strict isolation and is undergoing medical screenings to determine the cause of his symptoms. All necessary steps are being taken to ensure the safety of all patients, visitors and staff."

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The New York City Health Department later said it was unlikely the man had Ebola.

“After consultation with [Centres for Disease Control] and Mount Sinai, the Health Department has concluded that the patient is unlikely to have Ebola," the city office said in a statement.

"Specimens are being tested for common causes of illness and to definitively exclude Ebola. Testing results will be made available by CDC as soon as they are available,” the health department said.

An Ebola outbreak in four West African countries has killed more than eight-hundred people and sickened more than 1000, including two American aid workers in Liberia. One of them, Dr Kent Brantly, was flown back to the United States on Saturday and is being treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. The other, Nancy Writebol, is expected to be brought to Atlanta on Tuesday.

There is no known cure for Ebola, which kills more than half the people it infects. Its symptoms are similar to influenza, malaria and other diseases. Diagnosis is done through a blood test.